A narrowing gap
A dominant English side took the spoils, but Ireland continue their growth
On a day when a huge crowd all but sold-out Virgin Media Park in Cork, Ireland had a mountain to climb. An English side riding on the crest of a wave with 31 Six Nations wins in a row, number one in the world and absolutely dominant in all aspects came to do damage.
This Ireland side, with a wave of their own, the much-touted Green Wave, wouldn’t want to let this be an easy win, and they did exactly that, with a hugely clinical first half performance.
This time last year England won with a 78 point buffer and Ireland were determined that it would never happen again.
Ireland started the game with ferocity, with Dorothy Wall leading the physical charge. England looked shell shocked in the early quarter, unable to score, with Ireland coming close at one point. Ireland continued to build into the game, with some brave turnovers.
The home side worked through phases quite well, with the handling errors seen against the French in round one a distant memory. As Ireland pressed on, Dannah O’Brien spotted space in behind Abby Dow, threading a sublime kick through on the wing for Costigan to chase. The captain left Dow for dead with her phenomenal pace and scored in the corner with 24 minutes on the clock. O’Brien was unlucky to pull the conversion.
Unfortunately England responded 10 minutes later, after a long period of pressure. A well worked lineout maul steamrolled towards the Irish line and was capitalised on by Morwenna Talling, which was converted with ease by Harrison.
Ireland were a defensive animal for the duration of the first half, with Brittany Hogan, Dorothy Wall and Linda Djougang putting in heavy shifts and forcing errors. Ireland, though struggling at scrum time, profited at the breakdown and the visitors struggled to find any opportunities, despite so much possession in Ireland’s half.
Ireland held out strong to go into the dressing rooms just two points behind the visitors.
Interestingly, as the players all went to the sheds, the English leadership group briefly stayed on the pitch for an intense discussion. They looked somewhat rattled, as they discussed the first half and strategised for the second.
That pragmatism paid off, as England came out a different side. They chose to let their heavy hitters do the work, with Maud Muir and Sadia Kabeya carrying well and making good yards. Ireland were punished for several first half scrum penalties, with the first of the second half resulting in a card for Niamh O’Dowd. A real pity, as the Wexford woman was playing a really good physical game.
England, with the experience of over 1000 caps across the matchday 23 knew just how to punish Ireland. England bullied a very good Irish defence with some powerful mauls and tight carries. They were rewarded with space out wide as Harrison got their second try before the 50 minute mark.
England rotated their front row soon after and the game started to stretch, as England ran riot. England used their pack well to gain hard yards, and made the decision to go to the backs at the right time. Welsh born centre Megan Jones was a nightmare for the Irish to handle in the middle of the park and stretched the lead, with a fabulous bit of footwork to get England’s third try before 55 minutes.
Ireland were visibly tiring when they made their own raft of changes, but it wouldn’t stem the tide of the Red Roses, as Sarah Bern carried like a juggernaut to crash over for their bonus point try on 57 minutes.
Ireland kept fighting and the heads never bowed, but they were outmatched on physicality by England. Despite Ireland emptying the bench, they never quite got organised enough to defend as they did in the first half.
The English ruck speed was visibly quicker after Lucy Packer entered the game and Ireland just could not set quick enough as England dominated the contact. At times Ireland forced errors and managed some quality turnovers, but the lineout suffered in the second half giving Ireland very little opportunity for front foot rugby.
Sarah Bern got her second try of the game on 66 minutes, and soon after World Player of the year Ellie Kildunne, though very quiet in the first half, came alive in the second scoring on 70 minutes.
Ireland simply couldn’t handle the physicality, visibly fading as Kelsey Clifford closed off the game with the final score for the Roses. England will have been rattled somewhat in the early stages with Ireland absolutely in the game for 55 minutes, but they switched it up and dominated in a clichéd game of two halves.
The Irish women can certainly be proud of what they did, with the scoreline somewhat flattering the visitors but it was the power and experience of the Red Roses that was all the difference.
Irish Women’s Rugby Supporters Club